1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to systems and methods for network resource management, and more particularly to systems and methods for demand oriented network resource management.
2. Discussion of Background Art
Traditional network computer models process tasks either on individual client computers or on network servers. Tasks, regardless of whether they are computationally simple or complex, may from time to time overwhelm client and/or server resources. For instance, computationally complex tasks may not be executable on a single client computer in a timely manner, and such tasks may not even be executable by reasonably powerful central network servers which are over-scheduled with tasks submitted by many different client computers.
One way to handle such complex computations is by upgrading either the client or server computers. Such an option, while often the only choice, is very expensive and typically involves a substantial latency period as all of the required hardware and software are ordered, configured and implemented.
New server purchases are also burdened by increased costs from adding dedicated administrators, greater maintenance, and the highly complex and costly operating systems required to implement such increasingly powerful servers. New client computer purchases, similarly result in higher incremental costs, from purchasing such new client computers, and tend to waste processing power, since powerful clients mostly sit idle, except for the occasional times when their substantial processing power would be required.
In response to the concerns discussed above, what is needed is a system and method for network resource management that overcomes the problems of the prior art.